Darwin Semifinalists

A man in Alabama died from rattlesnake bites.  It seems that he and a friend were playing a game of catch, using the rattlesnake as a ball.  The friend – no doubt a future Darwin Awards candidate – was hospitalized.

Employees in a medium-sized warehouse in west Texas noticed the smell of a gas leak.  Sensibly, management evacuated the building extinguishing all potential sources of ignition; lights, power, etc.  After the building had been evacuated, two technicians from the gas company were dispatched.  Upon entering the building, they found They had difficulty navigating in the dark.  To their frustration, none of the lights worked.  Witnesses later described the sight of one of the technicians reaching into his pocket and retrieving an object that resembled a cigarette lighter.  Upon operation of the lighter-like object, the gas in the warehouse exploded, sending pieces of it up to three miles away.  Nothing was found of the technicians, but the lighter was virtually untouched by the explosion.  The technician suspected of causing the blast had never been thought of as ”bright” by his peers.

For more award winners, see The Darwin Awards